Astros Rumors: Centerfield Position Is Chas McCormick's Job to Lose

Centerfield job belongs to Chas McCormick to start season

Centerfield has been one of the most hotly debated positions regarding the Astros since George Springer left town. Last year was a revolving door for the Astros in center. Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon, Jake Meyers and Jose Siri all made starts in center.

The four combined to hit .210 with a .598 OPS. These numbers are indescribably unsightly and a team looking to repeat as champions simply cannot afford to have that pourous level of production from any spot in their lineup.

Which is precisely why what Chas McCormick shared at TRISTAR is such reassuring news.

I've been working my butt off this off-season. Centerfield is my job to lose. Again, I'm going to go into spring training like I've got to fight for a spot. This team is really good and I need to keep working hard...Dusty gave me the spot last year at the end of the year. It's obviously going to be tough being on one of the best teams in the world...every year is going to be different. Dusty is going to make the lineup and I just have to produce.

Centerfield should be Chas' job to lose. In fact, he never should have lost it last year. McCormick was recently named the 10th best Centerfielder in the game by MLB Network. They highlighted that over the last two seasons, Chas is sixth in outs above average and eighth in WRC+ among centerfielders.

In 2022, McCormick hit .245 with a .738 OPS. He does strike out more than the average Astro, but his 86th percentile walk rate fits the lineup perfectly. He finished 2022 in the 61st percentile in xwOBA. He went on to hit .231 with a .718 OPS and two home runs in the postseason.

Chas brings everything Houston could ask for out of their eight-hitter. He's a borderline elite defender and he is an above-average bat with the ability to tap into 20-25 home run power with regular playing time.

According to Chas, the job is his to lose. Rest assured, if he's given the keys to play everyday, he won't come out on the losing end. Nor will his employer. The road to a repeat starts now.